How to Travel Without Ruining Everything

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Vacation is fun, everybody knows that. Everybody also knows about the “vacation creep” that often comes after days and days of drinking in the sun, carbs, sugar and highly irregular sleep. Symptoms include (but are not limited to) bloating, puffiness, fatigue, digestive distress, sickness, breakouts (and breakups), mood swings, angry outbursts, and general feelings of insanity.

YOLO culture encourages a complete disintegration of our usual boundaries in favor of fun, FOMO, and the idea that more is always better. Where’s the self-respect in acquiescing to one more brunch buffet when you already feel absolutely ill? This is not to say we shouldn’t treat ourselves, try new things, and experience joy—life is about being flexible and not taking anything too seriously. However, the problem occurs when we take it too far.

I like to call this phenomenon the “fuck it” mentality. The mentality sinks is the second we tell ourselves, “I already did x today, why not do y?”, or “today is already a failure, so I give myself permission to double down and really fuck things up”. This black-and-white thinking is dangerous because rather than allowing for moderation, it uses shame to make us spiral and self-destruct. We assign good or bad value to something, then let it take over and ruin the rest of our day, week, month.

It’s okay not to be perfect (great, actually). Do what makes you happy and brings you joy, but know the difference between pleasure and pain. Allow moments of indulgence without letting shame or a restrictive mindset take it too far. Don’t let one unhealthy meal or one bad weekend of eating give you permission to say “fuck it” and self-sabotage the rest of the day, or week, or vacation.

Remember: every single second is a new opportunity to make a different choice, turn it around, and start over. Every moment we’re alive is a chance to begin anew. This allows us to enjoy our life, lean on our tools to reset when we need it, and move on. Let that shitty week go. Let that unhealthy weekend go. Do what you need to do to feel good again—it’s not far off!

““It only takes 5 minutes to break the cycle. Five minutes of exercise and you are back on the path. Five minutes of writing and the manuscript is moving forward again. Five minutes of conversation and the relationship is restored. It doesn’t take much to feel good again.” – James Clear, Atomic Habits

This lesson in balance is so impactful during travel because it allows us to experience joy without “ruining everything” and having a bad time. Balance, forever allusive, is worth striving for because in the contrast, we are able to return to pleasure refreshed and energized. Taking breaks to rebalance allows us to enjoy the good stuff more without overloading our pleasure senses.

Keeping up with some health practices when I travel is non-negotiable because it keeps me feeling great the whole trip. Below, find my tips for keeping it all together on-the-go without sacrificing a grand time. Take them with you on your next trip and thank me later.

1. Move daily

Super simple. After a meal, walk, even if it’s just 10 minutes. I love to sweat because it keeps me sane and opens up detox pathways, but even if you don’t schedule a workout, aim for 10,000 steps. It’s about daily practice, not perfection. Notice how you feel on days you don’t move versus when you do. Daily movement stabilizes blood sugar, promotes mental health, flushes toxins, and is a way to practice self-care during stressful times.

You will enjoy special meals and treats more, and you will be more inclined to stop when you’re full and practice moderation, when you feel like you’re doing something positive as well. Exercise makes us feel good in our body, so naturally we are less inclined to make dietary choices that would sabotage that. It’s also much easier to return to our normal routines when we haven’t let it all go on vacation.

Ways to Move While Traveling:

• On layovers, literally just walk up and down the concourse in the airport, end to end, for as long as you can

• Walk everywhere

• Find time to take a long walk or go on a run to get the lay of the land where you are. I always like to be oriented where I am, and getting outside also helps you to ground and offset jetlag.

• Do a Melissa Wood workout in your room, even if it’s just 15 minutes

• Schedule ACTIVE activities, like hiking, snorkeling, shopping, touring a site or museum, or other form of non-sedentary entertainment or exploring.

• Hit hotel gym

• Try a local workout, or search Google/Yelp for “infrared sauna” to get a good sweat in